An automated means for collecting meter data involves a fixed wireless network. Devices such as, for example, repeaters and gateways are permanently affixed on rooftops and pole-tops and strategically positioned to receive data from enhanced meters fitted with radio-transmitters. Typically, these transmitters operate in the 902-928 MHz range and employ Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology to spread the transmitted energy over a large portion of the available bandwidth. Data is transmitted from the meters to the repeaters and gateways and ultimately communicated to a central location.
With the increased sophistication of meters and reading techniques has come the corresponding sophistication of billing techniques and amount of information stored within utility meters. For example, energy meters may be operated as either a “demand” meter or as a “time-of-use” (TOU) meter. TOU meters allow a power company to provide greater differentiation by which the energy is billed. Energy metered during peak hours will be billed differently than electrical energy billed during non-peak hours. Also, demand meters allow for a billing charge based on the maximum amount of power consumed in a given period of time (e.g., 15 minutes). As a result, energy meters contain a significant amount of information that is useful to consumers.
In-home display concepts for home automation systems have been available for quite some time. Communications from the utility meter to the display have been accomplished with a variety of different technologies, ranging from low speed power line carrier to broadband RF. The communication requirements are typically guided by the sophistication of the home automation system, which vary from basic functionalities to full consumer service offerings. Historically, the high cost of providing information to in-home displays has prevented nearly all system approaches from gaining significant installation quantities.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an in-home display that implements a low cost communications system that is compatible with existing technologies and which provides energy consumption information, etc. to the residential customer. The present invention provides such a system.